For pets, a garage door can become a risk or hazard, especially if it's old, in disrepair, or needs replacing. Equally, a pet can represent a risk to your garage door or its components. Learn what you should know about keeping your pets safe while also keeping your garage door and its mechanisms working as they should.
1. Keep Your Pet Away from the Garage Door Whenever Possible
You should keep your pet away from the garage door and its mechanisms. This isn't possible for everyone, especially those who have pets that routinely access the garage. However, the more you limit access to the garage door, the better for your pet.
Garage door safety for pets also applies to pet owners who make use of their garages as a place to keep their pets or a place to let their pet play. Even in those circumstances, it's a good idea to do what you can to keep your pet away from the garage door.
Never tie your pet to the garage door or any of its components. Your pet can damage or unbalance the workings of the garage door by pulling at it and even bring harm to themselves. You may have feisty pets that want to gnaw, scratch, and roughhouse with some part of the garage door. This too can lead to malfunction or a bad accident.
If you have a free-range pet that goes where it pleases, try to keep tabs on your pet's location. If you think your pet will hang out around the open or closed garage door, then you should do what you can to curtail that type of activity then and in the future.
Some pets may enjoy sitting right at the entrance of an open garage or taking a nap there. If the safety feature of your garage door malfunctions, your pet can suffer the consequences.
Sometimes, a safety feature may not engage because your pet isn't the right size or traverses the garage area in a way the sensors won't catch. Whether your pet accesses the garage from outside or inside the home, try to stay aware of where it's at and what it might get into.
2. Close Your Garage Doors and Secure any Hazardous Materials
Many people keep some of their most toxic products in their garages. If you routinely leave your garage door open, your pet may enter it and get into something hazardous. Some people like to leave their garage doors open just a tiny amount, but don't underestimate your pet's ability to squeeze into or under tight spaces.
For example, antifreeze tastes sweet and has attracted many dogs to ingest it. If you keep antifreeze in the garage, your dog may find and get into it. Unfortunately, antifreeze poisoning can lead to kidney failure in dogs. If you keep toxic or hazardous things in your garage, make sure you keep your pet out of it.
If your pet can access your garage from inside the home, then the same rules apply. Secure hazardous items and toxic materials and make sure your pet cannot get to them under any circumstances.
3. Inform Everyone of the Garage Door Rules
Make sure your entire household knows the dangers of letting pets hang out around the garage doors. You should also let visitors, neighbors, pet sitters, and everyone else know to show care with your pet and your garage door. Everyone should practice these safe habits especially if multiple people are around your pet on any given day.
4. Seek Professional Service, Installation, and Maintenance for Garage Doors
Quality means mechanisms that work as intended, with a far lower possibility of them malfunctioning. In addition, those mechanisms will stand up better to wear and tear, especially from your pets.
A professional installation means you will have less to worry about with your garage door. Safety features will also have a greater chance of not failing when you need them most.
Quality and professional service typically equate to greater longevity and dependability. If you have a pet or multiple pets that live in or routinely visit your garage, then you should only deal with a qualified garage door service.
In addition, consider routine maintenance for your garage door. A garage door service can look at the door, its mechanisms, and all its supporting components. From there, the technician can make suggestions, administer repairs, or let you know the general health of your garage door.
If your garage door or garage door opener doesn't work as intended, or if they malfunction, don't let the problem linger. A faulty garage door becomes a danger to everyone, pets included.
Edgemont Garage Door Service offers professional garage door and garage door opener services. Contact us today for garage door services and repairs that will help keep you and your pet safe.
